NASCAR Race Start Times For 2017 Schedule Unveiled (Update)

NASCAR has released the starting times for 2017 races in all three national series.

Among the biggest changes in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, the first night race for next year will be May 13 at Kansas Speedway. The spring race at Texas Motor Speedway — typically run under the lights — moves to an afternoon green flag (1:30 p.m. ET).

Eight races from the first half of the season will move their afternoon starting times from 1 p.m. ET to 2 p.m. ET or later, including the season-opening Daytona 500 with a 2 p.m. ET start on Feb. 26, 2017.

The four races at Pocono Raceway and Michigan International Speedway move from 1 p.m. ET starts to 3 p.m. ET green flags.

The later starting time is also the case for most of the second half of the season. The green flag will drop at 3 p.m. ET next year at Watkins Glen International and the Chase opener at Chicagoland. The rest of the Chase looks more similar to 2015 with 2 p.m. ET starts at New Hampshire, Dover and Talladega, and a slightly later 3 p.m. start at Kansas Speedway.

The season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway will again begin at 2:30 p.m.

As for the XFINITY Series, there will be seven night races including a three-race swing from Iowa Speedway (June 24) to Daytona (June 30) and Kentucky (July 7).

Its two stand-alone road course races at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and Road America in Wisconsin will start at 3:30 p.m. ET and 3 p.m. ET, respectively.

Both its season-opening race at Daytona and finale at Homestead will begin at 3:30 p.m. ET.

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will have a decidedly night-time look with 14 of its 23 races held under the lights.

The season opens with a 7:30 p.m. ET green flag at Daytona. There is an eight-race swing of starts at 5 p.m. ET or later between the May 12 race at Kansas (8:30 p.m.) and culminating with the hugely popular event at Eldora Speedway (9 p.m.) on July 19.

See the full schedules below.

Note: All times listed are ET. Subject to change.